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Literature Festivals Round-up

There might be book festivals all year round, but October is as overrun as streets with leaves and conkers. Cheltenham Literature Festival (to 16 Oct) is the behemoth of them all, with more than 500 events, including creative writing workshops by the likes of Lucy English and Toby Litt and author events with Caitlin Moran, Jim Al-Khalili, Diana Athill, Ed Balls, Marina Warner, Julian Fellowes, Anne Rice and Will Self. Self also pops up at Sheffield's Off The Shelf (to 29 Oct), which has major names such as Claire Tomalin, Jon Ronson and Wendy Cope amid an aptly eclectic programme. Angela Saini discusses the growth of India as a global science superpower, Colin Grant unravels the mysticism and politics behind reggae legends the Wailers, Geoff Nicholson uses Sheffield as the basis for the recreation of a walk through Hollywood and Simon Armitage appears with his chosen winners of The Poetry Business competition. Likewise at Birmingham Book Festival (to 16 Oct), where fringe events, a small press book fair and a sound installation frame talks by Stuart Maconie, Alan Hollinghurst, Ian Rankin and Cuban poet Victor Rodríguez Núñez, among others. Manchester Literature Festival (Mon to 23 Oct) is a truly global gathering with writers from Norway to China, and events including a debate about the International Prize for Arabic Fiction and an Anthony Burgess tour.

Music, dance, classic films, literature, theatre and the visual arts are all part of this family friendly festival. Offering seemingly a year's culture in two weeks, the event has music from Elvis Costello, Billy Bragg, KT Tunstall and Eliza Carthy, as well as Dame Kiri Te Kanawa. Audiences of all ages can enjoy the spookiness of The Enchanted Garden. Carlos Acosta heads an impressive dance lineup, Claire Tomalin talks about her Dickens biography, and Michael Moore discusses being a professional troublemaker.